


Whipstitch

by Oceanbreeze7



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anteiku - Freeform, Awkward Quinque, Badass Kaneki Ken, Blood and Injury, Body Image, Body Modification, Cannibalism, Centipede Kaneki Ken, Child Neglect, Flexibility, Gender Issues, Graphic Description of Corpses, Hearing Voices, Hinami and Juuzou bond over coloring, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Torture, Jason Irony, Juuzou gets a family, Juuzou has a sweet tooth, Kagune, Kagune Usage, Kakuja, Masks, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Missing Persons, Nightmares, No Smut, No personal boundries, Not Canon Compliant, Poor Kaneki, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Presumed Dead, Sad Shinohara, Self-Esteem Issues, Sewing, Shironeki | White-haired Kaneki, Team Bonding, Unconventional Families, Very very light romance if you squint, Weird Biology, half-ghoul Juuzou Suzuya, skin stitching, uncontrollable kagune
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-06
Updated: 2016-04-14
Packaged: 2018-05-31 17:41:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6480307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oceanbreeze7/pseuds/Oceanbreeze7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Shinohara, well...we just want to formally put the investigation to rest."<br/>"You don't know him he-"<br/>"It's been months, I'm- i'm sorry sir.... but your partner is dead."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>One should make their toys from the finest silk and the best thread.<br/>A scrapper indeed but the quickest of them all, and what an investigator too!<br/>One shouldn't play with their food, only with pretty dolls and blinded pawns.<br/>And Juuzou Suzuya would be the best little toy Eto had ever seen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally intended to be a Oneshot but it grew a bit on me.   
> The plot idea was pretty much created by another story featuring a Half-Ghoul Juuzou. The author eagerly gave me permission.  
> I hope you enjoy and further chapters are in the making.

 

 

_ “What do you mean-...Can’t possibly be better then my R-...” _

_ “Madam a large sum has already been procured-...” _

_ “Oh why do you make such a fuss over your little pet? It's so much more useful n-...” _

_ “You’ve soiled my little-...” _

 

 

_ “It isn't waking up. The others were so much prettier.” _

_ “No no. I don't understand, this one should- it went perfectly!” _

_ “Maybe your little lab rat isn't so perfect after all.” _

 

 

_ “What a dissapoi-...” _

  
  
  
  
  


_ “Ma-....evacuate the b-...no time!” _

_ “Oh wh-...e hurry Kanou?” _

  
  
  
  
  


 

Juuzou Suzuya woke up very confused, very groggy, and in  _ pain _ .

The fact that he  _ was _ in pain was a perplexing problem. He blinked dazed, his eyes never quite focusing and eyelids never quite opening all the way. His left hand rose limply, smacking onto his collarbone with a dull  _ thud. _

A low groan rolled in the air as white hair shook and cracked his neck. Slowly with lethargic caution, his right arm moved to prop his torso upwards. All the while his left hand clutched at his chest instinctively; where his visible ribs joined into his sternum, there was a smoldering flare of unique pain that was foreign and invasively unpleasant.

He rolled both ankles away from the grinding position the protruding bones rubbed against the cement. The heavy sensation of shackles followed; a bearable pressure that was easy to ignore.

Juuzou rose slightly more, sliding backwards to brace his back against the nearby wall. With a sharp shiver, he realized that the shirt he was wearing was certainly not his. And the stitches that were his had vanished. 

The cell (he couldn't find another word that fit the barren dark room) wasn't large. Twelve feet square on estimate from what little his eyes could adjust to see. There was a door, slightly lighter in color than the surrounding stone or concrete. 

The sudden flare of pain left Juuzou breathless, slinking downwards to hunch in on himself. The discomfort of his collarbones overwhelmed the faint detections of gnawing hunger in his stomach.

‘ _ What- where am I?’  _ Once more his eyes scanned the room, more attentive this time then his post-awakening. His estimations were fairly accurate, the door constructed of some sort of light colored metal. There was a large grate built into the floor that if he  _ stretched,  _ the balls of his feet could just barely brush. The shackles on his feet were anchored into a point of the floor secured by massive bolts that were nearly rusted into the ground.

He eyed his ankles thoughtfully,  _ ‘I could break them but I don't think I could still get out.’ _

His head also throbbed faintly of a headache, he brought his hand up to clutch the nape of his neck where the tendons bulged stiff and sore. The gritty powder of dried blood flaked away from a wound he hadn't remembered receiving.

“No point-” he gagged, coughing and hacking loudly at the searing burn in his throat. His mouth was filled with a disgustingly gummy sensation that didn't quite match the flinching hoarseness of his voice. 

Clearing his throat once or twice more, he tried humming. His vocal chords functioned as expected. The hand nearest his head lowered to trace the contours of his neck. There were no marks or blemishes to explain his voice, leaving disuse as the only fathomable explanation left.

Juuzou rose awkwardly. His legs fumbled and shook resembling a newborn animal more than the usual ease of motion he had. No muscular strain or ache met his small stretches, allowing him a sense of relief for retaining his flexibility.

Stumbling over the grate (unusually not-sticky but Juuzou wasn't quite sure what he had been expecting), he made his way towards the door. Reaching out and touching the cold metal, he could feel no handle or way to open it from the inside. 

There was a window in it, metal bars that were indistinguishable from the hallway across in the darkness although Juuzou could definitely feel the bars.

Perhaps if he managed to work the shackles off, he could use them to pry the bars out? The opening was small, a square foot at most but assuming he could wriggle his collarbones through he could definitely contort into a position able to slide out.

Grunting once to clear his throat he smiled slightly at the resulting echo. 

_ ‘Ohhhh, I sound like a piggy.’  _ He grinned, grunting a few more times just to hear it vanish down the hallway. 

One larger grunt took a longer time to vanish, becoming more and more distant as the sound bounced off the walls and assumedly the other cells. 

_ ‘This is a really big place.’ _

Wildly shaking his hair, he could finally pinpoint the specific stitched gash in his head that had bled down his neck. The shape of it was unusual, stitched but not  _ his  _ stitches. Like the uniform boring stitches he received once on a mission where his leg got a tiny nip. Shinohara had demanded he see the doctors, personally escorting him down to the facility.

_ ‘Shinohara!’  _ He perked, desperately trying to peer out of his cell through the bars, ‘ _ Is he here as well? What mission were we-’ _

Juuzou’s mind halted with an increasingly cold realization. Shivers caused small bumps to raise on the exposed skin of his arms and calves.

_ ‘I- we weren't on a mission, I was at the park.’  _

Juuzou blinked in the dark. He  _ was _ at the park, he had been watching the bumblebees and their impossible wings flying from flower to flower. On occasion he had spotted a dog that looked strange to have been made through natural means, and he chased the local pigeons trying to catch them to see their funny waddles.

But if he had been in the park during the day, then how had he-

Juuzou gave a hoarse cry, stumbling backwards and nearly tripping on the anchor on the ground. Legs crunched under him, he started to scratch at the rusted bolts desperately as his anxiety increased.

‘ _ Mama! I- there was a man! And and he did something and-’ _

The burn in his chest altered to something reminiscent of nostalgic panic as he gasped and hurriedly inhaled air. It burned against his throat, a minor tinge Juuzou had long since learned to overlook.

_ ‘The man, did he drug me? I- I don't-’  _ He shook his head wildly. His nail beds strained under the stress of his hurried clawing,  _ ‘He, he took me here. He said that- that I was worth a lot?’ _

None of it was making sense to Juuzou. His memory was fuzzy and distorted with broken conversations he wasn't able to determine as real or dreamed. Regardless, he  _ had  _ been in the park. He  _ knew  _ that, obviously someone must have kidnapped him and taken him to-

Very slowly Juuzou raised his head to look at his cell once more. It was entirely different:the concrete wasn't aged stone, the door wasn't placed with torch sconces directly across, the hallway was much too long and not wide enough.

Despite the differences the situation brought back long forgotten terror and anxious fright as the surroundings were  _ similar enough…. _

_ “ _ Mama?” Juuzou asked quietly, the repeated echo bounced all around him as he strained his ears for the shouts and cries and the  _ roar and the crunching- _

He was in one of the cells of a ghoul auction or market or  _ restaurant _ .

“Shinohara?” He mumbled, finally feeling a nail uproot and blood start to make his hands slick.

.

.

.

_ ‘Help’ _


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which insanity is best found in the companionship in those already teetering on the edge.
> 
>  
> 
> Juuzou and Kaneki meet, Kagune's are used, meals and masks and other complex components of daily life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A story with a similar premise has been posted by SuzuyaSenpai titled 'A Doves Wings'. We have conversed and I gained permission for using a similar plot although diverging entirely from their plotline.
> 
> Events are not exactly cannon compliant although I do try really hard to stick to the plotline.
> 
> I can recognize that Juuzou and Kaneki may be out of character, although I have attempted to keep their personalities regular throughout the story.
> 
> The rest of this story is already being written.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!   
> (If a picture is desired of Juuzou's Kagune please say so in the comments and I'll create a link for the visual aid.)

 

 

Juuzou Suzuya hated stitches that weren't his own.

The ones that had mysteriously appeared in his scalp ( _Mama always took care of her Rei-Chan)_ he had ripped out gladly. He couldn't determine the color of the thread in the darkness but it was most likely black anyways.

The thread had occupied his attention for a small while. He pulled at the fibers until they split into hairs too fine for him to play with anymore.

The pain of his ribs and bones had faded into a sharp burn that only appeared if he twisted specific ways. He had spent hours (minutes? Days?) bending into relaxing forms and shapes, trying to figure out if both legs behind his head made the pain show itself.

After his disorientation had faded his senses returned. The cell complex he was placed in (forgotten? Abandoned?) was silent with the exception of a faint dripping that was too quiet for an annoyance, but loud enough that the silence was not overwhelming.

His stomach’s hunger had returned. His captors had not thought to leave him any food, yet the lingering sweet smell made Suzuya toy with the idea that he was hidden below a cake factory. (He had considered sugar cane but he hadn't been aware of any factories in the wards. He _had_ known two large scale bakeries for instant packaged sweets, and one cereal plantation for a brand he never had tried.)

He thought that Shinohara would laugh over the fact Suzuya was hidden below a _sugar manufacturer_.

He imagined Shinohara would be laughing.

(Suzuya was making sounds that could only be laughing.)

 

The anchor point to the ground looked virtually untouched.

Juuzou’s fingertips looked like he had dipped them in that thick tomato sauce Mrs. Shinohara made the one time he had gone over for dinner.

He hadn't liked the sauce then either.

 

 

The sugar at some point changed, it's smell faded minorly, mixing with something slightly acidic. Like the hard lemon candies that crunched under his teeth in sharp little fragments.

His stomach was hurting badly at this point, and his lips were chapped and cracked when he tried to smile.

_‘Shinohara, did you hear the story of the coyote?’_

Juuzou smiled, staring upwards blankly in the dark. Little giggles almost managing to break from his throat.

His right hand slowly slid down his leg, pausing right above the shackle. He traced the metal once, twice-

He started to _scratch._

 

 

“When you said you cleaned up, you didn't understate.”

Quiet black shoes moved carefully over the floor, pausing and sliding to the side when a putrid pile of dusty old blood sprinkled the floor.

The corpses that were sprawled in strange positions were in the beginning processes of bloating. Already the joints were stiff in such a way that they were frozen in shape until collapse.

“ _Oui._ Exactly as ordered!” There was a shark grin under the predatory gaze,  “ _Est-il satisfaisant?”_

Kaneki scowled, noticing Tsukiyama’s smug grin as the purple haired man nudged a peculiar corpse with his shoe.

“It's fine,” Kaneki bit out, gazing around the dull lit room for the power breaker for the entire building. “Are you sure you didn't find anyone of importance?”

Tsukiyama managed to look the smallest bit offended.

“ _Monsieur,_ you think that I would have let one escape my touch?” He gasped dramatically, dropping his head with a deep frown. “Pained, how very pained…”

Kaneki ignored him, walking further before finally finding the grey box mounted on the wall. Opening it and flipping the main switch, there was no restoration of lights. Only two light fixtures sparked wildly.

“I’ll search the building. You said you had another lead?”

“ _Oui,_ but that is in the seventh ward-”

“Go then.”

Tsukiyama’s brow flinched quickly, face going blank except a minor frown. “ _Pardon?_ I cannot assist you in-”

Kaneki turned fully, trailing his fingers gently on the wall as he softly looked at Tsukiyama directly. He tilted his head marginally, and the elder man looked evidently torn.

After a few short moments, the elder sunk in a mimicry of a bow. His expression had settled on a disgruntled frown. He sniffed with disdain, yet had no words to protest. He turned and merely strolled out of the room, not caring to avoid the one strewn corpse on his path.

Kaneki waited a few moments after his departure to make sure he had really left. Once he was certain he was alone, he turned and carefully strolled further into the room.

This base in particular was located in the northern end of the twelfth ward. Whispered rumors had spread that the ghoul market was holding more than its usual selection of premium prepared cuts and exotic coffee blends.

Word said that mostly unharmed humans were being purchased in different wards and transported to the twelfth ward, but _never sold._

Enough snooping and enough bribing and threatening from his ‘dagger’ provided the necessary information to break in with the hopes of finding Kanou’s place of residence or at the very least someone who knew where he was.

The ghoul market was abandoned in a way that displayed its frenzy and panic. Misshapen forms of gelatinous flesh melted into the floor, the remains of kagune from fallen ghouls. Stalls and obvious sections dedicated to a specific vender were deserted. Some still displayed coffee beans with signs like ‘ _Koloco Beans!’ ‘Dark Chollen Roasts and Blends’._ Any of the once drool worthy aromas were covered with the thick stench of dead ghouls

‘ _There must be some sort of records, a business ledger for the humans purchased, a destination or who they sold them to.’_ Kaneki reasoned.

Towards the very back edge of the open plaza held the storage rooms for the few venders wealthy enough to own sectors.

“Nothing is here.” Kaneki murmured, frowning at the barren shelves. In fact, it was _suspicious_ that nobody was here.

The next storage room proved similar, except locked and heavily bolted with metal that even Kaneki would be unable to break if not for the unlocked deadbolt. Inside was barren as well, except the musky _stench_ of rotten ghoul flesh and blood.

Gagging against the smell which made both of his eyes water, he shook his head vigorously. _‘For the smell to perforate the entire room- they were storing dead bodies, why?’_

Only until deep within the recesses of the building, where the lights were still functional and everyone seemed to have evacuated in a timely manner, did Kaneki stumble across a makeshift grotesque laboratory that was uncanny to his own recollection.

‘ _He was here.’_ Kaneki stared blankly at the metal table and broken IV stand in the corner of the room.

_‘He-’_

With an angry _shriek_ Kaneki struck, too blinded with absolute _frustration_. The large filing cabinet toppled, spilling out files and photos of anatomically disgusting dissections.

The red Rinkaku struck over and over, leaving impressions in the walls while outright shredding the tables and shelves into jagged star shaped explosions of shrapnel.

Glass clattered against the floor with bell like charms as the lights exploded from a power surge from damaged wires in the walls.

Kaneki hung his head, panting whilst his fists trembled in barely controlled rage. His two exposed kagune writhed, still smashing into walls and now the floor while a low nearly primal growl echoed.

His one kagune smashed into the ground, giving off an echoed _thud_ which somehow rang differently and _wrong_ in the air.

Kaneki paused, turning and squinting at the spot where his kagune had struck. Under the large filing cabinet, a section of the floor was lighter in color and ridged with a pattern of parallel lines. Casted iron door, similar to ones used for sewer manholes. Although this one was missing the handle used to open it from the ground.

A single kagune tendril struck forward like a snake, grasping the metal and wrenching it harshly out from the metal supports securing it to the ground.

A staircase descended out of his sight.

 

 

The cells stank of the sickly sweet smell of dead and already decomposing human.

“They must have left and didn't bother with the rejects.” Kaneki muttered, Kakugan flaring in the obvious disrespect of failed experiments.

The hallway was long and pressingly dark. The power breaker for the fluorescent lights was at the bottom of the stairs, and with little hesitation he threw the heavy switch up.

The lights started in a chain, a low buzz filling the air as the first light flickered on, spreading to the second like an infection. The cement flooring was dirty and stank with bodily fluids- yet somewhere under it something smelled peculiarly _savory._

He walked, skin prickling against the chill of the cement and metal hallway. The open back of his hastily torn borrowed shirt did little shy of nothing to protect him from the unexpected chill. His mask- having torn an important fastening, brushed against his left hip in a way more unsettling than above ground.

His footsteps seemed loud although he knew they were normally difficult to distinguish. He paused and peered into one of the cells. A human woman, obviously dead although noticeably fresher than the ghouls above.

_Sccct-rrrrrrrr_

Kaneki froze.

The small of his back tingled as he surveyed up and down the hallway for the mysterious scraping noise. Was there still a guard looming around the labyrinth? Certainly there were enough humans to feed a guard.

Carefully edging forward he looked around the nearest corner. Each muscle taut and coiled for a strike that never came. In fact, the entire complex seemed empty.

Kaneki sniffed, hoping to find the scent of whatever guard was nearby if any. Instead that savory smell from before once again was noticeable under the pungent aroma of _meat_.

What _was_ that smell? He hadn't experienced it before or anything quite relatable to the savory yet sugary smell. It reminded Kaneki strongly of the heavy sweet cream he had tried once in summer when a street vendor had come by the local park.

_Sccct-rrrrrrrr_

This time Kaneki knew exactly where it had come from. Or rather, which cell.

A fair ways from the other bodies, he passed a small pipe with a quietly dripping valve.

Twelve cells past, Kaneki slowed. Taking small leisure steps before peering into cell thirteen of this hallway.

“Well what are _you?”_ He murmured under his breath, trying to better distinguish the blackish dirty soot-filled hair from the stone wall it was curled against. Wearing ratty clothing and nearly emancipated, Kaneki could count its ribs through tears against sallow arms and oversized torn pants.

It twitched when he spoke, the hand nearest its ankle clicked against the metal cuff which had been making the scratching noise.

That was when Kaneki noticed the state of its feet.

It's left foot had been entirely severed, the wound odd and pinkish in confused states of healing through the messy clawed skin. It's right foot had a deep groove roughly a centimeter deep although it's single nail wasn't having purchase on its bone.

It flinched once more, a sharp inhale and its head lolled forward.

One half lidded glassy red eye stared through Kaneki.

One glassy Kakugan followed suit.

 

 

Kaneki exhaled, frowning slightly at the occupant of the cell. This cell was the only one in which something more than just a human was housed.

_‘He must have had high hopes for this one.’_ Kaneki mused, taking one step forward and noticing how the glassy eye tracked his movement, ‘ _But he left it for dead. Why?’_

“What's your name?” Kaneki asked, his voice monotone. It echoed oddly off of the walls, fading into silence uncomfortable for a place so large.

It didn't move although the vessels protruded under the skin of its right eye shifted a miniscule degree.

“You’re probably starving,” Kaneki mused, speaking aloud to rid the silence that seemed so roaring. “Yet he experimented on you. _Why,_ what is he hoping to _learn?”_

His voice moved into a hiss as his hands flexed in restrained anger. A single knuckle cracked.

“Do you know Kanou?” Kaneki asked, stepping forward to stare down evenly from the other side of the bars, “is that name _familiar?”_

It only stared, glassy eyed and uncomprehending in its hunger induced fever.

Still, he couldn't take the chance.

“ _Fine.”_ Kaneki sighed, rubbing the back of his scalp and catching himself quickly from showing surprise from not feeling the leather strap of his mask. He let out a soft exhale, turning and walking past the corner to where the one marginally recent corpse was sprawled in the cell.

One Rinkaku tendril broke the metal hinge with noise louder than he had intended. The forward momentum of his strike caused the door to groan and teeter inwards perilously. It fell backward, landing with a _crunch_ on the upper torso of the woman who had spent her last moments at the feet of the cell door.

The slightly sour but still pleasant aroma spread similar to a single spray of perfume in the air. Ignoring the smell (he had his fill earlier on the _disgusting disgusting-)_ he stepped into the cell mindful of the crunched body.

He grasped one ankle, it too was shackled to the floor although only by one metal ring. He _twisted-_

The leg came free rather easily, the stiffness of the body providing an easy angle to tear the flattened bone from the door. Now attached only at the ankle to the metal anchor fastened to the floor; Kaneki heaved backwards and the cuff slid downwards, popping the foot off like he used to do to dandelions that forced their way up through cracks in the sidewalk.

“This better be worth it.” He muttered under his breath, exiting the cell and walking around the corner back to where the experiment lay in its inebriated state.

It's eyes locked onto the leg he was holding the moment his Rinkaku shattered the metal bars that filled the square window into the room. With one careless movement, Kaneki tossed the leg into the cell and turned away once the grinding wet smacking noises of feeding frenzy started.

“I’ll be back after searching the rest of this hallway,” he called over his shoulder, walking further down to where he assumed, the escape passage Kanou had taken was located. If he was fortunate, there may still be a trail for him to follow.

 

 

Juuzou Suzuya stuttered into awareness lethargic and disoriented.

He was still in the cell ( _not a dream not a dream_ ), but felt somehow...better?

The next thing he noticed was that he could _see._

There was a light source, fluorescents from the tinny buzz that drowned out the sound of the dripping water. His cell was dark grey and flaking maroon. It genuinely didn't matter if it was blood or rust in his opinion.

The door was lighter in color as he had suspected, made of a tempered metal and _missing the bars._

‘ _Shinohara! Shinohara found me!’_ He could help the large grin that spread over his face, splitting his lips and causing beads of blood to gather. Swiping his lips with his tongue, he quickly glanced around his cell. In light everything looked different. The anchor was more secure than he had originally thought, covered with a thick layer of rust he knew he wouldn't be able to easily remove even with tools.

‘ _Jason could break that in one hit!’_ He pouted, looking at his ankle with the smallest festering of curiosity, ‘ _oh, it's working? Jason could fix those too.’_

He poked the stump of his one leg, frowning at the nub of clawed and chewed bone.

“One off one little piggy to go.” He giggled under his breath, excitement roaring at how near his escape could be.

But...why wouldn't Shinohara unshackle him?

‘ _Unless the ghoul came back for youuuuu.’_

He frowned, looking around his cell for anything usable. There was a bone in the corner, split and crunched on one end. It was pinkish and yellowed, strips and tufts of meat clinging in stubborn patches. It obviously was for the ghoul who had been housed in this cell prior to him- but how had he not felt it in his earlier scouting?

“I’ll think about it later,” he hummed, bending forward so his stomach was flush with his thighs and knees. He grabbed at the shackle attached to his partially severed ankle and turned it in the new light. The shackle had a visible crease where it attached. Juuzou could have picked the crease if he had anything sharp and small. Fingernails were out of the question since he was lacking the nails required.

“Oh!” He gasped, eyes widening in surprise. He flopped backwards, trying to snatch the bone and drag it towards him.

“Eww.” He whined, wriggling his fingers against the slimy texture before calmly cracking it with a loud _Crrrrrck_

Picking at the edges of the crack until he managed a small sliver, he threw the rest of it against the wall where it rattled and dropped. Juuzou entertained the thought that a dancing skeleton most likely sounded similar.

He hummed absentmindedly as he pried against the crease with the bone, wriggling it into the groove while pushing it away from the sticky mess he had already made.

With a slow gradual creak it opened a centimeter, then an inch. Dropping the bone he pried with both fingers, arms trembling as he hissed out a breath.

Finally open enough, Suzuya yanked his ankle free with a breathless grin.

With no second wasted he curled back, gripping the wall as a crutch as he slowly stood. The left leg stump was burning ridiculously so as it met the ground to support his weight. His right leg hurt similar yet still functioned to a degree.

He jumped forward, grasping the door with his hands and hanging for a short moment breathless. Pulling himself upright and contorting his shoulders in a thin line he slid through the small hole with only slight discomfort. His wide hips posed a threat yet he had a little wiggle room.

His landing twisted into a smooth roll, leaving him sitting in the hallway.

“I’m out?” He asked, looking up and down yet he seemed entirely alone in the light. “ _Helloooooo?”_

There was no reply so with a huff he folded himself upright, landing on his knees and started to crawl towards the left where the hallway stretched on. If he was lucky, maybe he’d find a way out. Then he could contact Shinohara and maybe they could somehow find a way to stitch his ankle and get him a prosthesis.

He couldn't afford to slow down and consider what he had just _done._

‘ _Oh oh I bet I could store my scorpion knives in it!’_

 

The longer Juuzou cautiously ventured down the hallway the less his left leg hurt. Pain never was a very important or significant thing, Mama had taught him that.

He hobbled in a low yet fairly efficient walk, mostly on his hands while his feet helped support a fraction of his body weight.

He hadn't seen anything in the other cells, and the hallway was almost entirely made of storage rooms or cells. The storage rooms threw him off slightly, why were storage rooms needed in an auction?

Peeking around a corner once more there was _another_ storage room, this one filled with weird knives that were largely impractical for fighting, some serrated while others were thin with a weird tapering end Juuzou suspected would shatter if twisted slightly. Regardless, any weapon was better than no weapon, so he selected one of the larger knives as well as a few of the smaller ones he could shove into the fabric of his pants and hopefully throw.

He must have traveled at least a quarter of a mile and slowly the path started ramping upwards. Juuzou grinned, humming a little bit to himself as he added a little hop in his four legged little walk. Prancing more like it.

“How did you-”

Juuzou twisted, entirely unbalanced yet managing to snatch one of the small knives and throw it. His shoulder hit the ground as he flopped in an clumsy pile before he straightened and hurriedly grasped another blade in a steady hand.

His target, having not expected the attack lifted one arm to deflect the blow. He was taller than Juuzou but not towering so. They may have been around the same age, they already shared a somewhat similar color of hair.

The knife bounced off harmlessly confirming Juuzou’s suspicions. The quick movement surprised his attacker, and although the weapons Juuzou held would do nothing, they were a slight reassurance.

The attacker frowned, looking over Juuzou and his position on the ground with a critical eye before he too slowly sunk to the ground. The ghoul was aware that he was at a overwhelming advantage.

_‘I'm sorry Shinohara. Now you’ll be sad.’_

“What's your name.”

_‘What?’_

The question had been asked on the border of social awkwardness. Although intended to be an innocent question, the hard monotone of his voice had been shifted to something attempted lighter and soothing. The result was something nearly laughable.

In fact, Suzuya _did_ laugh, a little giggle which caused the ghoul to look struck.

“You sound like a computer.” Juuzou explained, still giggling slightly to himself, “Try practicing in a mirror.”

“Did you- are you _criticizing_ my _public speaking?”_

Suzuya gave a perky nod, “It sounds like you ate a GPS.”

The ghoul looked at Juuzou with a look that easily conveyed his disbelief in the situation, “Why are you so chatty now? You threw a _knife_ at me!”

Juuzou pouted, “It didn't work.”

“Does it _normally_ work?”

Juuzou nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! You’d be dead by now! Although I don't have my Jason or my Scorpion, plus you're kinda nice. You would die fast.”

It looked borderline hysterical, unsure to either laugh or bemoan.

“Did you open my cell window? Thanks for that. I hadn't thought of how to open it.”

“Wait wait-” it shook its head, taking a step forward. Suzuya’s grip on the knife tightened, something the ghoul noticed as it halted immediately.

“Are you saying that you have used _quinque?”_

Suzuya frowned, “No, I _own_ them! Well, Scorpion I don't- I stole them,  but everyone is too afraid I'm gonna stab them so they don't really try to take them back-”

“You're a dove.” It stated, almost dazed.

“ _Nooo_ , I don't have feathers silly.”

It stared at the wall behind Juuzou for a concerning amount of time. Juuzou considered making a move, seeing if he could somehow find an escape or somehow maneuver himself around the ghoul into a position where he could lock it into a cell. With his damaged legs there was no feasible way he could outrun it. He knew it was possible to knock a ghoul unconscious, could he still accomplish that with no quinque?

_‘You've messed up Juuzouuuu.’_

“What's your name?” The Ghoul asked, eyeing Juuzou’s leg once more. Was it hungry? He had heard that sometimes ghouls toyed with their food, waiting for specific emotions to make their prey more appealing.

_‘He’s going to eat us right up.’_

“Rei.” Juuzou bit out, it was more likely that a ghoul here would recognize that name and know he wasn't on the menu. Then again, if Mama had abandoned him here..

“Rei then,” it nodded. Juuzou didn't like the way it rolled off of his tongue. “I’m Kaneki. Do you know how you got here?”

The casual way the ghoul, _Kaneki_ , spoke was uncomfortable. It hadn't recognized Juuzou’s old name as a scrapper. Did it not normally live here?

Seeing that Juuzou wasn't going to reply Kaneki bit out again, a bit more snappily “Do you know where your surgeon went?”

“Surgeon?” Juuzou stared. There had been a surgeon? He wasn't injured or hurt, why would he see a doctor? He avoided the medical ward as often as he could back at headquarters. They were snobby and stared and always were rude to him, then again he had attacked a fair number of them when they poked what they shouldn't.

“You don't- _oh.”_ Kaneki’s face darkened, eyes reflecting some sort of unrecognizable sadness and emotion Juuzou didn't think ghouls had. “I am so sorry then Rei.”

_‘Even a ghoul feels bad for you little Juzu.’_

“ _Why?”_ He snapped, suddenly glaring with a ferocity that took Kaneki off guard, “Why haven't you killed me yet? Isn't that why you came back?”

Kaneki shook his head, taking a step back in an attempt to smooth him. His hands were low, held splayed in front of him like how one treated an angry dog.

“No no, I- Rei i’m here searching for the people that were here before. There was a man called Dr. Kanou. I’ve been tracking him for a long while.”

Suzuya had heard that name. Mentioned under the breath of doctors when they thought he couldn't hear. Only when he first was found and taken had they mentioned the name, and only briefly enough he couldn't remember the context.

“Is he the surgeon?”

The pieces clicked like one of the little puzzles he had gotten a long time ago.

“He did something to you? You're hunting him because he did something to you.”

Kaneki flinched, staring at Juuzou with some unreadable expression. His finger cracked loudly in a way Juuzou knew meant snapped bone.

Kaneki swallowed, looked away and then looked back.

“He did. Kanou is- he-...” He broke off, swallowing before scratching the back of his head tiredly. What a strange ghoul.

“He has...experiments. Implanting ghoul organs inside humans and giving them kagune.”

“Turning them into a ghoul?” Suzuya asked puzzled. What a strange thought. Turning people into monsters! No wonder this Kaneki was so angry with this surgeon. “That's silly! Could you tear your arm off and it would grow back?”

Kaneki didn't seem _too_ startled with his question. More exasperated.

“Rei listen to me. Kanou was here.”

_‘So?’_

_“_ He performed on you.”

Suzuya stared, tilting his head with a little giggle.

“You're a silly ghoul. Most ghouls would just try to kill me, but you can't trick _meee.”_

Kaneki rubbed his eyes, rolling his shoulders tiredly. The buzzing of the lights was much better background sound than the dripping.

“Rei. You're like me.”

“Are you going to kill me yet? Oh, can you _decapitate me?_ It's soooo _cool.”_

“I'm _not_ going to kill you _.”_ Kaneki burst out, voice echoing loudly and surreal down the hallways and the empty nearby storerooms.

“....you aren't?” Juuzou asked, voice quiet and unsure. Wavering slightly between hope and confusion. “I can go home?”

Kaneki had an expression of pity.

_‘You hate pity.’_

 He hated pity.

“No, I mean-”

“But you said I could go!”

“Learn to put away your Kakugan!”

_“...what?”_

Kaneki groaned once, running his hand through his hair as he looked around the rooms. He made a small whining noise as he peered around but evidently didn't find what he was looking for. His eyes lit up with a small sounds as he pointed at Juuzou spontaneously.

“Your leg, it was cut- no no the right one,”

Juuzou stiffened, slowly and cautiously pulling his right leg out from under his body.

The cut he had made, right above his ankle in his attempt to get away.

_It was healing._

Hesitantly, he twitched it. It moved just as he intended, even the muscles he bit through stretched how they always had. He tried to look further but his eyesight wouldn't focus- how long had he been shaking?

_‘You're shaking so much! Your teeth with fall out and your guts pop!’_

“Hey- Rei?” Kaneki asked, voice low as he cautiously approached. He sunk downwards, carefully settling onto the ground. His black clothing nearly blended his outline into the wall.

_‘Maybe you are a monster now. Oooooh all of those people, are they right now?’_

Juuzou flipped the knife in his hand, changing the angle for the blade to face his thigh. With a fluid move of his arm, faster than Kaneki could protest or stop him, he slammed the knife into his right thigh.

The knife shattered into little metal fragments that tore his soiled pants further. Through the gap in the clothing his pale skin was revealed, entirely unmarked.

Kaneki flinched backwards, obviously not expecting the move. He watched him, wary as Juuzou sunk forward.

“Rei? Rei are you- are you _laughing?”_

Hysterical laughing, full hearted gut filled deep laughter that was strangely more disturbing than how he enthusiastically requested to be decapitated.

“Hey hey- so, so I guess I don’t need- need a _prosthetic!”_

And he dropped.

 

 

Juuzou woke up in a bed. It was not his own bed where the mattress was hard enough that it was painful for others. This bed was soft, plush and squishy in a way that made him squirm.

It _was_ comfortable though.

He shifted slowly, sitting upright and then stretching forward past his toes in a catlike stretch. Slowly the vertebrae of his back cracked softly, shoulders popping from his sleep.

Juuzou rolled, slowly sliding out of the bed until his upper back and shoulders hit the floor. His feet, still trapped in the bed, kicked to try and throw off the covers. A small backwards somersault allowed him to sit with his legs folded on the tile floor.

Everything seemed distant and hazy, did he fall asleep at Shinohara’s house? No, he didn't have tile only fuzzy carpet that itched. Did someone take him home? That one woman, Akira?

He yawned loudly, voice exaggerating the groan as he hopped upwards. He briefly poked the sweatpants he was wearing, he had never seen it before in his life. They were a touch too big, then again all clothes given to him dwarfed him usually. Who had-

Juuzou yelped. His arms pinwheeled around him as he fell forward. Twisting to the side, Juuzou hit the tile on his right shoulder, rolling to absorb as much of the impact as possible.

“What the heck was-” he grumbled under his breath, grabbing his leg and yanking it upwards in the splits to see the problem.

His foot was misshapen. It looked half of the size he was sure his foot was (he checked his other foot to compare just in case), the toes were weirdly shaped and molded to his foot in a weird way.

He cautiously poked it, wriggling the weird stumps that were in fact, toes.

“It looks like squished my foot like clay,” he giggled slightly, amusing himself with the mental image.

“Squished, squished like-”

The sound of something clattering downstairs made him freeze.

‘ _Uh-oh what was that?’_

He was on his feet again. This time keeping his left foot pointed while he balanced and darted forward. The hallway had similar tile, what looked to be a small washroom on the left and two or three steps which opened into a room Juuzou couldn't see from his angle.

The closer he brought himself the more he could hear muttering under someone's breath, and the shuffling of something being moved. Sliding his feet forward slowly to refrain from any footstep sounds, he peered around the corner slowly.

The room opened into what looked to be a small kitchen and dining room. The dining room’s intended purpose had been overridden with a series of maps stolen from tourist welcome centers. Brightly colored markers scribbled words on traced imaginary routes over the directions. He was too far away to tell exactly what they said.

The shuffling noise happened once more, causing Juuzou to focus on the creator of the sound.

A white haired male, possibly similar in age to himself, was rooting through a cabinet while muttering to himself. The cabinet held some sort of crinkly packaging, and instantly Juuzou perked at the prospect of candy.

The head withdrew from the cabinet, pausing.

“I can smell you Rei, you know.”

Juuzou froze.

_‘Oh Kaneki. Did we forget?’_

Kaneki turned slightly, frowning marginally worried over how Suzuya had stiffened. He had pulled out a brown paper bag from the cabinet, which he set on the counter before looking at him concerned once more. “You okay?”

_‘Kill him.’_

Kaneki slammed backwards in surprise, head knocking into the cabinet he had just closed. Juuzou kicked off and landed already twisting to slam into the ghoul once more.

This time Kaneki was prepared, his hand shot out to catch the fist flying towards his face.

Using the momentum, Juuzou leapt upwards and flipped to land knees first into Kaneki’s chest.

Both males fell to the ground with a wheeze. Juuzou was already preparing another punch towards Kaneki’s head when a sock covered foot managed to _kick_ right in Juuzou’s stomach and launch him across the room.

His back hit the far wall, falling forwards. Generally he would have landed easily to launch a counter attack, but his left foot curled under the weight and he teetered before tripping forward.

“Are you done now?” Kaneki asked, still wheezing while one hand clutched his breastbone where Juuzou’s knee had impacted. He had risen, slowly approaching where Juuzou was lying stunned on the floor.

_‘Killhimkillhimkillhim.’_

_Bam_. Kaneki grunted, back on the tile where Juuzou had kicked his legs out from under him. The latter darted forward, squirming and pinning Kaneki to the ground while two pale hands locked around the Ghouls neck.

“...Rei!” Kaneki choked out, looking more surprised by the exchange then frantic.

_‘Why hasn't it used its kagune?’_ The voice in Juuzou’s head whispered, _‘Is it that weak?’_

One of Kaneki’s hands gently reached up and held Suzuya’s left wrist. The bone cracked easily under the stress.

Juuzou hissed, unconsciously letting go of his grip on Kaneki’s throat. Kaneki sat upright and one hand snatched his right wrist, a pointed look following so.

Juuzou knew that ghouls did not have Kakugan active all the time, yet he wasn't expecting Kaneki to have two grey eyes.

“Rei- I know you're angry but calm down.” He tried, voice low while Juuzou bared his teeth and coiled for a- a- for _something._

_‘Don't listen kill him kill the monster.’_

“Rei, _please._ I don't want to hurt you.” He tried once more.

“Says the ghoulie that snapped my wrist like a _stick_.” Suzuya hissed low in his throat, heat gathering in his face and his blood itched to _fight fight fight-_

“You were choking me!” Kaneki defended, eyebrows furrowing slightly, “It’ll heal.”

‘ _How will it-’_

_‘Oh. We’re a monster too aren't we Juzu?’_

_‘I bet he hates us now, just like Mama.’_

Kaneki noticed the difference the moment Juuzou slumped entirely boneless onto his torso. Still laying on the floor, it wasn't inconvenient that Juuzou use him as his own custom pillow. Entirely unexpected at most.

“Rei?” Kaneki asked, alarmed by the complete change in countenance. “Rei are you alright?”

He whispered something so quiet Kaneki missed it. Straining the second time he could just barely hear “ _-rew back it grew back.”_

“Your foot grew back,” Kaneki echoed out loud, awkwardly trying to pat Juuzou’s back like his mother had always done for him, “Your wrist will heal too! In a few hours maybe.”

Juuzou pulled back slightly, lifting his left arm to flop the wrist between their faces. It made snapping and rattling noises as the bone under the skin moved visibly.

“A few hours?” Juuzou asked, voice small and almost timid, “Mama would be angry because it takes too long. And, and Shinohara gets worried and-”

_‘Oh yes that's why they’re angry.’_

“Just a few hours.” Kaneki tried to soothe once more, this time actually working, “just a few hours then it’ll be just like before.”

Juuzou stared at his wrist, flopping it with slightly glazed eyes. It continued to crunch and grind as it lolled around and around.

“I found a dead dog and it flopped like this.” Suzuya hummed, eyes slowly sliding to Kaneki’s. “I think Mama won't be happy with a dead dog.”

“Then let's stay away from, err, ‘Mama’.” Kaneki awkwardly tried to reassure, “and let's stay away from this Shinohara until we have this worked out. Is that okay Rei?”

_‘That's okay with me.’_

Juuzou sat upright, finally getting off of Kaneki’s torso and sliding onto the tile. He cradled his broken wrist, poking at it while nodding slowly with a little sniffle.

Kaneki smiled, slowly getting up to not startle the other.

“That's good Rei. I was just going to make some coffee, would you like some?”

_‘Do I want some? Do I want someone?’_

“Juuzou.” He mumbled out, causing Kaneki to look at him in confusion.

“M’name is Juuzou Suzuya.”

“Nice to meet you Juuzou. My name is Kaneki Ken.”

If it wasn't for the fact that Kaneki had the epiphany that Juuzou was debatably ‘twisted’, he may have been concerned when Juuzou started to flop his hand against the wall just to hear it squelch.

 

 

“Just coffee?” Juuzou asked, wrinkling his nose at the idea. “No sugar?”

“No sugar.” Kaneki confirmed.

Juuzou sat on the edge of the counter nearest the coffee maker. He had been watching Kaneki go through a nearly hypnotizing process of creating coffee with actual beans. (Actual beans, Juuzou thought it only came in the instant powder.)

He passed over a mug, already steaming and pure black. Juuzou looked down at it, glancing at Kaneki unsure. Kaneki only took a drink of his own mug, arching one brow at Juuzou.

“Are you _sureeee_ I can't put sugar in it?”

Kaneki took another sip to hide the small smile curving at his lips.

Suzuya sighed dramatically, stared pointedly at Kaneki then sighed once more except louder and equipped with a slow slouch backwards until he laid on the counter top.

“Okay fine, take a sip and then try some sugar. You’re not going to like it.” Kaneki warned, although Juuzou’s red eyes widened to huge proportions and he straightened upright, wriggling excitedly as he hurriedly took a gulp of the coffee.

His reaction to the coffee was a wrinkle of distaste.

“Sugar?” He asked hopefully, causing Kaneki to roll his eyes yet walk towards a cupboard above the microwave.

“You're lucky there's any here. The owners rented it fully equipped.” Kaneki supplied, hefting down a large baking bag of white granular sugar.

Juuzou hummed excitedly, drawing his knees to his chest while practically vibrating on the counter. “Shinohara _never_ gave me a whole bag!”

Kaneki rolled his eyes, leaning against the counter on the opposite side while pointedly kicking the trash can closer to Juuzou. The latter childishly stuck out a tongue and instead reached into the practically new bag and grabbed a handful. Small crystals flew across the counter as Suzuya gleefully shoved a handful into his mouth.

“I told you.” Kaneki sighed, taking another sip of his coffee as Suzuya wretched for the fourth or fifth time. Juuzou moaned in misery as he spat once more into the trash can before sinking backwards onto the kitchen floor.

“ _Sugar.”_

“Don't even try milk, it's rancid.” Kaneki warned as he carefully stepped over the prone form occupying most of the kitchen floor. He refilled his mug, before reaching back into the cabinet filled (now Juuzou could see at this different angle) with exotic coffee blends handwritten with a black marker on brown paper bags.

“Hey, get up.” Kaneki nudged Juuzou with his sock covered foot.

“ _Sugarrrrr_.”

Against his will Kaneki found himself smiling a miniscule amount. He gently picked up a small paper bag, and peered inside to make sure it was the right contents.

“Hey” he squatted, nearly Juuzou’s head. The said head rolled, looking at Kaneki with the most wide-eyed, begging, kicked-puppy look Kaneki had ever experienced.

“It's not sugar, but I find them kinda sweet.” Kaneki offered, reaching into the bag and pulling out one of the small ‘sugar cubes’ he had stored from Anteiku such a long time ago.

Juuzou perked upwards, eying the small russet cube with wide eyes.

“You can just put one or two in your coffee and it’ll help with the hunger-”

“Is that blood?” Juuzou asked, tilting his head to look at the cube from a different angle, “it _looks_ like blood.” He concluded practically unfazed.

“I actually don't know what it is,” Kaneki shrugged, “it’ll help with the hunger-”

“Is it a person?” Juuzou asked with big eyes, “people don't taste bad but Shinohara said that I should never eat people.”

Kaneki stuttered, and accidentally inhaled a small amount of saliva. He coughed, trying to clear his throat and shock from the innocent confession.

“You- you’ve _eaten people?”_

Juuzou shrugged. “Mama gave me parts of the show if I was a good boy.”

_‘Are we a good boy are we a good boy Juzu?’_

With that and Kaneki frozen in barely restrained horror, Juuzou plucked the cube and stuck it in his mouth.

His jaw froze and his eyes widened to massive proportions. One Kakugan flared as his face twisted up ways with overwhelming joy.

_“Sugar!”_

Kaneki quickly glanced into the paper bag. He’d need to stock up on more.

‘ _Actually, I need Uta to fix my mask as well.’_ Kaneki thought.

_“_ Does anyone know you're alive?” Kaneki asked. Suzuya was still munching on the one cube and eyed the paper bag greedily.

“Juuzou? I’ll give you another?”

“I don't know, I just got taken from a park in the twentieth ward. I don't know how long I've been gone but Shinohara probably looked.” Juuzou frowned and looked downwards at his hands, playing with the regrown fingernails. “He’s probably sad.”

Kaneki smiled small and bitter. “I know the feeling.”

“Can I have another sugar now?”

 

 

“Do I have a kagune?” Juuzou hummed, this time sitting on the bathroom counter, dangerously close to falling into the sink.

Kaneki paused, before looking at Juuzou warily. “I’m sure you do. I don't know what he did to you, not to mention if it's safe. It may be nearly impossible to control.”

A little over two weeks the two had remained in close proximity. They were camping out in a rented apartment under a false name just over the border into ward fifteen. So far, the two had been actually coexisting pleasantly. The amount of raw _chaos_ Juuzou radiated melded with the depressing temperament of Kaneki to create a rather pleasant atmosphere.

Juuzou pouted. “That's not _fair_. I have control!”

“Juuzou you ate the _entire bag_ of sugar cubes in two days!”

“That _is_ control!”

Kaneki rolled his eyes, avoiding Juuzou as he continued to trim the very tips of his hair, attempting to keep it manageable instead of a wild mess.

Juuzou cleared his throat, instinctively Kaneki looked up and watched in minor disbelief as Juuzou’s Kakugan flared then recessed, flared then recessed over for at least twelve individual times.

“Are you doing that on purpose?” Kaneki asked, leaning forward to watch the black sclera flood over and retract in almost unimaginable timing.

Juuzou giggled, beaming while activating it again and retaining it.

“Isn't it pretty! They used to be so gross on the other nasty ghoulies but now I think it’ll make my stitches prettier!” Juuzou bubbled, playing once more with its activation, “It's kinda like popping out teeth.” He giggled once more.

Choosing to ignore that last comment, Kaneki swept up the remaining tufts of hair he had cut into the trash can. Juuzou had been fascinated by the process and watched with rapt attention as a centimeter was evenly removed.

“I know a friend who may be able to help you with your stitches.” Kaneki added. Instantly Juuzou leapt at him and tackled him to the floor. Uncaring of the spilled hair, he sat firmly on Kaneki’s stomach.

“Do you have to do that?” Kaneki wheezed, struggling to get up. “His name is Uta, he makes masks for most ghouls and he’s very good at what he does.”

Juuzou tilted his head curious, “I get a mask?”

“All ghouls need masks to help with the identity. It makes it harder for doves to recognize us.”

_‘He won't recognize you.’_

Juuzou settled once more, frowning and tugging at his light strawberry-blonde hair. Nearly matching Kaneki’s own hair, the two of them would most likely stand out in a crowd.

“Oh! Can can, I uh” Juuzou’s face went blank as he suddenly looked disappointed, “I forgot.”

“You were just remembering to get _off of me.”_

Juuzou gave him a deadpan look that explained he certainly hadn't been thinking that.

Kaneki squirmed slightly again, reminding the smaller of the two his seating arrangement. Pouting obscenely, Juuzou somehow _leapt_ off of him before quietly walking over towards the mirror. Flaring his Kakugan he stared firmly at the one black and red eye with such rapt yet apathetic attention Kaneki felt almost as if he had intruded on something personal.

“I’ll be looking at the maps.” Kaneki mumbled as an afterthought. Often Juuzou had been nearly hysteric when left alone without knowing where Kaneki had gone.

Juuzou gave a small, hum and once again flickered his eye on and off again.

 

 

“I thought ghouls lived in hives.”

Kaneki looked up from where he had been roughly plotting the pathway through the wards back to the twentieth. Juuzou was sprawled in a chair, feet and legs stiff against the back of the chair in a way which made Kaneki’s hamstrings ache just watching. The rest of him was limp and collapsed in a strangely unhinged collection of limbs fitted with a halo of white hair and mismatched eyes.

“No, well. Some ghouls do.” Kaneki started, stumbling over words before attempting to rephrase, “Some ghouls live in communities, others in an...aristocratic society whereas others live almost in a competitive territorial lifestyle.”

Juuzou stared, gaze unnervingly blank. “Oh, Mama was an aristo-cat then.”

Kaneki paused, tempted to correct the younger but by the sudden sharp toothed smile he had a feeling it was intended.

“But now,” Juuzou started, idly kicking his legs in a near splits, “now I'm not so precious.”

Kaneki had paused prior but now his movements were made cautiously with exaggerated slowness. With loud and obvious footsteps he carefully walked over. Not seeing any signs of aggression at his approach, he slowly lowered himself into a crouch.

“Hey,” Kaneki’s voice was unusually gentle. “You were picked for a reason, which means that you're something others aren't.”

Juuzou merely hummed a single flat note.

_‘And they’re never going to come back isn't that sad? Have we been a bad boy Juzu?’_

Kaneki changed tactics.

“What if we find this, er- this _Mama_ and we show her otherwise?”

Juuzou’s head slid over like a wooden puppet and Kaneki felt a small shiver up his back.

“How?”

“Want to try to get your Kagune?”

Juuzou sprang forward in some sort of circus contortion, this time Kaneki was ready.

Instead of letting Juuzou pin him down _again_ , he swiftly raised one arm and knocked the other to the ground with a mildly pleasing sound.

Juuzou stared, eyes blown with surprise as he slowly sat up. His hair mangled from the static of his former lounging position.

“Ouch.” He whined, one arm brushed against his chest in what was most likely shock more than pain.

“That's what you get for always trying to jump on top of me.”

“Shinohara said the same but is that a rule for _all_ people?”

“Yes”

“Well I don't _care.”_

Kaneki shook his head with a small smile as he walked over to where Juuzou was sitting on the ground.

“This may not be the time, but who exactly is Shinohara?”

Juuzou perked up, his hands twitching in an odd configuration that looked to be either a nervous tick or excitement reflex.

“Shinohara is my partner!” Juuzou bubbled excitedly, “we go slice up ghouls! Well, not now because I am one but also because I made ghoul mush which is much more _fun_ than just slicing-”

“Shinohara was your partner?” Kaneki frowned, politely butting in on what he recognized a developing rant. “What level is he? And you?”

“I don't know,” Juuzou shrugged, “but people like him and he’s important like when I sucked that mean policeman’s eardrum out I didn't get in a lot of trouble!”

“You- you _sucked out someone's eardrum?”_

Juuzou quickly turned hesitant. He looked at the ground and mumbled under his breath, “only once.”

Kaneki slowly rubbed his eyes as he exhaled slowly. Juuzou took this as a bad sign and hurriedly started rambling.

“He’s got Arata which is this funny Kakuja quinque but it eats him, which _isn't fun_. And he took me to the zoo once and-”

“A Kakuja quinque?” Kaneki had a strange expression on his face that Suzuya had never seen before.

“Does it look like a large battle suit? And does Shinohara have short hair?”

Juuzou tilted his head. “Have you met him?”

Kaneki rubbed his chin absentmindedly as he admitted “A colleague may have mentioned him. Maybe. I’m not sure if it was him.”

“Well!” Juuzou flopped back and started wriggling excitedly, “I can't wait to see him and show him my pretty eye!”

Suddenly he was very close to Kaneki’s face. “I’m going to see that mask person for my stitches. Like you _said-”_

“I know I know! And we still are.” Kaneki reassured, “first we should determine your kagune though. I learned when a friend of mine attacked me without me knowing.”

“Oh okay!” Juuzou jumped up to his feet, “Try to catch me first!”

“ _Wait_ ,” Kaneki ordered sharply and Juuzou froze on his feet curiously. “That's not going to work for you since you already know, not to mention you have no fear at all.”

Juuzou pouted, crossing his arms with a huff.

“So what I am going to do, is well, honestly I'm going to stab you until I find the pressure point and force it out.”

“Why couldn't your friend stab you?”

“No need to sound _disappointed_ ,” Kaneki grumbled, “She’s an Ukaku. Only Rinkaku can do it effectively.”

Juuzou glanced around the small apartment. “Will people think you killed a squirrel in here?”

“Well i’m not going to do it in _here_. We’ll go to the alleys a few roads over by rooftop. We’ll need to be careful since my mask is broken and you don't have one yet. If this works then tomorrow we can head to the twentieth ward.”

In the end, it _did_ work.

Juuzou’s kagune erupted in a flare of black and dark purple, alongside the instinctive rush to _fight._

Hence why Kaneki was carefully and expertly using two of his Rinkaku to keep Juuzou a safe distance away.

“Juuzou!” He called, thankful that the area was entirely abandoned. “Juuzou!”

The other continued attempting to attack with his strangely humanoid style of fighting with a wildly flailing kagune that looked more useless the longer it was out.

“Alright- _Juuzou.”_ Kaneki slammed one of his limbs into the exposed stomach and sent him colliding _hard_ with the brick wall. They sent up a small cloud of dust and mortar chips while the new ghoul lay limply on the ground. Kaneki had taken worse hits during sparring matches although such blunt force would more then likely cause broken bones in a human.

Juuzou groaned a whining noise more of frustration than actual pain. He sat upright, dazed and disoriented.

“Oh,” Juuzou muttered, swaying slightly. “Those are pretty.”

Kaneki twitched slightly, withdrawing the two Rinkaku he had out. He nodded towards Juuzou and smiled slightly.

“Not bad yourself.”

“Wha?” Juuzou blinked, looking more aware as he peered over his shoulder.

On the left side of his back stretched an odd black almost bony protrusion. It was hooked with small ridges, each exploding downwards in black and deep purple pulsating membrane. Nearest the very edges did it alter into something slightly red.

His right side looked like it would have been a mirror image if not for the shattered and crunched end of the protrusion only about a foot outwards. Other protrusions and weird geometric shapes looked as if they had grown then spontaneously stopped in a crystalline yet messy rupture.

He reached up to poke it, the crystals hard yet still squishy. It distantly reminded Juuzou of wiggling broken bones under the skin.

The other side was much more different. The purple and black flickered like cloth or an obnoxious flag. He could feel a faint sensation, like someone poking his feet long after they had fallen asleep.

“It feels funny.” His hand reached higher towards the black boney ridge that framed the upper stretch.

“Kind of like when your leg falls asleep, but it doesn't hurt.” Kaneki agreed, a small smile on his face as he looked over the Ukaku. “I’ve seen larger, but it's not bad. It really just depends on how you use it.”

Juuzou frowned. With quick movements he made a large show of tensing and arching his back. When the Ukaku simply followed his movements but failed to react further, he pouted disappointedly.

“Don't worry. It took me forever to be able to actually use mine properly.” Kaneki reassured, stepping closer cautiously to view it closer. “That friend I mentioned before is rather skilled with her Ukaku. I’m sure she could teach you a few things.”

Juuzou brightened quickly, looking at Kaneki with almost a sickly devious gleam.

“Can your friend show me how to make knives?” He giggled, a huge grin splitting across his face as he peered at the more crystalline chunk.

Kaneki scrutinized Juuzou for a small moment, frowning before cautiously responding. “She could. You’d have to tell me a few things first though.”

“Like what?” Juuzou asked, entirely distracted by the pulsating gleam of the left wing.

“You used to be a dove, were you a special class?”

Juuzou’s fingers snapped in recognition. Kaneki startled when the wing flared and pulsed brighter alongside the snap.

“That one! Shinohara said that we were special class, but I was lower.” Juuzou shrugged dismissively “doesn't matter since it didn't get me sweets.”

Kaneki leaned forward, “Juuzou, i’ll get you a bag of those sugar cubes if you help me.”

Juuzou snapped around and to attention. Kaneki smiled.

“Alright, this Shinohara is a special class. Do you know another investigator, tall and built. Uses a quinque that's koukaku.” Kaneki cringed so miniscule Juuzou almost missed it. “Had a partner who was rather...unique. White hair and obsessive.”

Juuzou tilted his head. “Talks all funny and too serious?”

Kaneki’s eyes widened and shot straight to Juuzou.

“Yeah I think his name is Amon or Amin.” Juuzou shrugged, “he got all yucky when I sucked the police man’s ear and made it pop.”

Kaneki ignored the accompanying giggle.

“But” Juuzou frowned, “his partner was that one guy who everyone talked about.” Juuzou nibbled on his bottom lip in thought, more specifically on one tiny patch on his bottom lip. “Wasn't it a bunny that killed him?”

Kaneki said nothing and Juuzou’s eyes widened.

“Wait that weird guy was like, no he likes the Rabbit ghoul and the Eyepatch ghoul.” Juuzou blinked then cracked his knuckles, twisting them in that weird habit from before, “Do I get to meet them?”

Kaneki swallowed, his throat suddenly thick as his hands instinctively went _crack_.

“Do you want to?”

“Mm, why not!” Juuzou chirped, somehow flaring his Ukaku up above his head before relaxing it. “It’ll be fun! But first.” His face went deathly serious. “I get sweets.”

 

 

Juuzou was fast, he always had to be.

If he was slow then he couldn't perform for Mama, then he wouldn't get his good boy points.

If he was slow, he couldn't fight and then he wouldn't be able to serve the silly humans that were like little piggies for him.

But with the Ukaku?

He was _flying_.

He giggled, pushing off from a rooftop harder then his muscles ever had been able to flip and roll across the next. Jumping the eaves had never been so _easy._

Kaneki was following behind as well. He was dressed in all black clothing that wasn't fun enough for Juuzou’s taste with polka dots and triangles. Juuzou had a feeling that he was wearing something under the layers but Shinohara had taught him not to investigate things like that.

Kaneki didn't have his Kagune out, and was instead running and leaping with muscles that were from fighting. It wasn't like he had _Suzuya’s_ , but it was enough that he was better then a lot of the investigators Juuzou had been stuck with in the past.

But running in the middle of the night across rooftops all the way to the twentieth ward?

Shinohara _never_ let him do _this.,_

He jumped again, pausing mid stride as he smelled something deliciously sugary somewhere below him. Landing on the roof, Kaneki nearly ran right into him with the abrupt stop. Juuzou’s quick backbend took him out of the collision course while also allowing him to peer over the edge of the roof.

“I thought everything smells gross?” Juuzou asked, looking over his back towards Kaneki who had recovered.

“Oh, there?” He asked, pausing and sniffing the air. His eyes narrowed as he looked over the edge slightly revolted. “Some _vermin_ feasting.”

Suzuya frowned, looking back at Kaneki.

“Ghouls that eat humans are bad?”

Kaneki had a very specific expression, something between agreeing and disagreeing yet held an unfathomable amount of cynicism.

“Okay!” Suzuya chirped, grasping the edge of the roof and fluidly flipping over the edge, nearly cackling with glee. He thought he had heard Kaneki curse or call after him but currently his eyes were located on the ghoul below.

It was indeed a ghoul. A middle aged woman with dirty skin and greasy hair. Her skin faintly stunk of trash and other waste materials. She bared her teeth at Juuzou once his feet clattered on a fire escape. He noticed the way she grabbed and pulled the gnawed remains (was it a girl or a boy? It was just bones and bits and mangled flesh) closer to herself.

“Hiya Ghoulie!” Suzuya chirped, clambering onto the fire escape railing in a perfectly balanced perch. “You smell really gross.”

“This is _my_ kill!” She hissed out. Sluggishly a Bikaku slid out from the base of her spine. It was an oily yellowish that somewhat resembled her hair. The wet slopping noises the Bikaku provided once emerging sounded much more disturbing than when Kaneki had pulled out his Rinkaku, or other ghouls he had heard in the past.

Suzuya tilted his head curious. “You look like a pigeon, but not one of those good ones. One of those pigeons that may have been hit by a car, but you can't quite tell.”

She shrieked, sending her tail upwards much slower than anything Suzuya had practiced or trained with. He was good at enduring hits from a bikaku, but he was very good at avoiding them entirely.

The fire escape creaked and groaned, snapping under his feet. He hummed as he dove over the railing. Simultaneously he curled into a small ball as he began his series of tight flips cascading lower towards the ghoul. His Ukaku slid out with a sound similar to Scorpion being drawn- splitting through his shirt. The bony ridge blurred as he became a spinning blade.

The ghoul was disappointing. It dropped with a wet plop onto the ground without even realizing how to counter, nonetheless attack back.

_‘You weren’t any fun.’_

Kaneki landed on the ground nearby, frowning at the mess.

“Was that really necessary?”

Suzuya shrugged, withdrawing his Ukaku. The sudden lack of the dark purple light left the alley in near darkness. Distantly a car honked.

“So, how do you eat it?” Suzuya mused, dropping into a squat. He reached out to poke a section of exposed muscle and tendon from the corpse, watching it wriggle under his finger.

“You want to _eat it?”_

Suzuya peered up innocently. “Shinohara said never waste food?”

Kaneki exhaled quickly, looking at the corpse and twitching slightly. He slowly squatted down next to the other boy before looking at him incredulously.

“Are you _excited?”_

“Maybe it’ll taste like sugar!”

Juuzou scoffed at Kaneki’s revolted expression. Gingerly he shifted his hand position to actually pull on the muscle and tug it free.

He wiggled it slightly, the dark red jiggled.

“It's like a worm.” Juuzou snickered, Kaneki rolling his eyes and looking at the corpse of the woman once more with that one face Juuzou couldn't read.

The taste was...strange. _Heavenly_ but not the teeth-aching crunch or melting taste of sugar he so wanted. More similar to a filled pastry Juuzou had indulged himself in once after snatching a strangers credit card.

“It's not bad.” Juuzou hummed, sinking his fingers in and giggling slightly at the wet smacking noise.

“Just, don't go hunting humans on your own.” Kaneki muttered, voice thick as if there was a lump in his throat, “we’re lucky this isn't territory of a stronger ghoul.”

Juuzou hummed a question while glancing over to Kaneki. His eyebrows lifted in a silent question.

Kaneki’s one eye was activated, pulsating and glowing much more strongly than Juuzou could make his. Black veins traveled under the surface of his skin, stretching all the way to the edge of his cheekbones while something primal burned behind the black sclera.

“Do you want some?” Juuzou asked, voice rising in question as he offered a decent size chunk of _whatever_ he had pulled. It already stained his fingers red.

Instead of answering Kaneki instead harshly snatched the left side of the ghoul’s corpse courtesy of Juuzou’s Ukaku.

He grasped the shoulder before savagely tearing it away from the lower half of the body. The dull tan Bikaku flopped against the ground with a sound similar to a wet fish. Blood splattered onto his clothes as it was pulled away from the body, weird dark brown organ finally coming to light as Kaneki took a grudging bite. His mouth stained red.

_‘Is that why he wears black? Hide the blood away.’_

“Does that taste good?” Suzuya asked, peering over at what Kaneki had bit into. The smell was acidic and caused his nose to burn like too much vinegar.

Kaneki swallowed, cheek twitching in his attempts to remain neutral. “It's revolting.”

Juuzou hummed, not really caring what his company was doing.

_‘He’s weird.’_ Juuzou determined firmly. Then he tore into his meal once more.

 

 

“The twentieth ward is a peace ward.” Kaneki had explained, sitting on a roof of a nearby bookstore as the sun started to rise. “The entire ward is claimed territory. If you go around killing humans and drawing attention, then we’ll kill you before doves can.”

Juuzou looked over the edge at the few cars starting to wake in the bustling city. “Ghouls are peaceful?”

“Some of us just want to live our lives.” Kaneki’s smile was wistfully sad “leave us alone and we’ll leave you alone.”

“What about the Binge Eater?” Juuzou asked curiously, “Rabbit lives here too right?”

“Binge Eater is dead.” The different change in tone caused Juuzou to look over. Kaneki’s eyes were glazed and distant, a small frown ingrained so deep it seemed permanent. “Rabbit on the other hand, well. Don't upset her and she’s fine. She just keeps this ward clean.”

“If there's a mean little Ghoulie eating all the piggies do I get to kill it?” Juuzou chittered, wriggling excitedly and giggling as Kaneki gave a grudging nod.

“ _First,_ we’re seeing Uta. He’ll make you a mask and I need mine fixed.” Kaneki started, peering down on the streets before turning and slowly sliding on the fire escape with forced clumsiness and awkwardness. Juuzou groaned at the fake human movements but followed similarly.

Reaching the bottom, Kaneki removed his black sweatshirt and proceeded to reverse how he was wearing it. Inside out was less distracting than the faint blood spatter.

Juuzou glanced at his clothes and shrugged, they were bloody but he had gone out in worse things.

“Are people going to recognize you?” Kaneki asked under his breath as they started down an alley and out onto the main road.

Juuzou paused considering it, “Uh, I could shave my head!”

Kaneki snorted softly, “I think two white haired people are drawing more attention than you’d think.” Kaneki muttered softly.

He was right, Juuzou generally ignored the aghast looks of adults and the approving looks of teenagers with his appearance. He _had_ noticed that he was receiving less looks than his stitches. (He did miss them though.)

“I can dye my hair!” Juuzou chirped slighy. He suddenly froze halfway down the sidewalk, gazing inwards a store with a dropped jaw.

Beyond the darkened glass display windows, large jars were filled with obnoxiously bright wrappers.

“Juuzou?” Kaneki asked quizzically, glancing inside a rather impressive candy emporium, “let's go. Only two more blocks.”

Juuzou moaned in distress as he leaned forward, pressing his forehead against the glass. The smell of the sweets was already nauseating.

“Hey,” Kaneki walked over with a small knowing smile. “We can head over to a place I know to get those sugar cubes you like.”

“ _Really?”_ Juuzou asked quietly, tilting his head nearly entirely sideways while still facing forward.

“Completely, let's get going.” Kaneki nudged once more. Thy continued off further down the street before taking a right and heading towards a small door that looked more like an emergency exit then anything.

The door was loud and creaky, casting hazy glow in the dim buzz of the artificial light. It swung close quickly, and Juuzou grinned at the atmosphere. The floor was checkerboard in red and white which seemed coppery in contrast to the bronze stools laying scattered like chess pieces.

They worked as pedestals, holding busts covered in a series of intricate masks with dark creamy leather and _stunning_ hand stitches.

“Uta?” Kaneki asked, still standing at the top of the stairs whereas Juuzou had jumped down and investigated one mask closest. The entire little room was dark and difficult to entirely distinguish the edges from the walls. There was a small darker patch that assumedly led to the back room where most of the masks were made.

“It's been awhile since I last saw you.” A light and slightly airy voice drawled from next to Juuzou, the latter who simply beamed. “And you brought another.”

“Uta.” Kaneki nodded, voice disinterested as he reached to his side pocket and pulled out a shapeless lump. “I’ll need this fixed.”

“Torn it again?” Uta mused. He walked with entirely silent footsteps as he lifted one hand carefully for the mask, “one would say you've been being reckless.”

Kaneki shrugged.

“Hi!” Juuzou chirped, jumping upright to balance precariously on one of the pedestals. Uta turned, not leaning back from the mere inches away from their face. “I’m Juuzou. I like your tattoos and piercings. I thought ghouls can't have piercings? Kaneki said that you can give me stitches but _I_ want to give _me_ stitches. But you can watch.”

Uta looked at Kaneki baffled.

“I just need my mask fixed although Juuzou needs a mask of his own.” Kaneki offered, then grimaced slightly “perhaps something more...water resistant, for Juuzou.”

Uta’s lip curled as he looked at Juuzou. The former smiled in a seemingly disturbing way although Juuzou seemed more comfortable if anything.

“Of course, we’ll have to see of course what mask is… _fitting,_ for our new friend.”

Juuzou grinned once more.

 

 

Uta, having explained the specifics behind the ability to tattoo and piece ghoul flesh using quinque steel and Ukaku needles, had given Juuzou a rather long needle that Kaneki glanced at and _itched and itched and burned._

Juuzou had quickly snagged a rather large spool of dark red reinforced thread Uta generally made masks with; he darted off to perch on the top of one of the pedestals.

“I wonder where you found another one, hmm?” Uta drawled, both Kakugan always flared as he expertly twisted and stitched with small careful movements along where the clasp tore from the surrounding leather of Kaneki’s mask.

Kaneki didn't bother responding, causing Uta to smile to the smallest degree.

“Kaneki! Kaneki look!” Juuzou chirped, eyes blown with excitement.

He thrust his left arm out, where much to Kaneki’s horror the thread had been used to make stitches, unlike Uta’s own handiwork, in and out of his flesh.

Uta peered over, eyes widening as without regard for Juuzou’s own comfort he grasped the younger's arm quickly and inspected it closely.

“Impressive,” Uta confessed, rotating his arm and plucking at a few of the threads to feel how taut they were. “These are very well done.”

Juuzou beamed, grinning a toothy smile as he activated his one Kakugan. The color of his Kakugan and his abnormally red eyes matched the thread eerily so.

Uta tilted his head like a bird. With a small uncomfortable smile Kaneki took a few steps away towards the door where he could sit on the stairs.

Juuzou took a stool nearest Uta and quickly strung the needle through his arm again, this time on the external side of his left arm.

Uta seemed fascinated, watching attentively as the needle wiggled in and out. Only once did a bead of blood well when Juuzou had sneezed and pressed too hard.

At some point Uta had obtained the necessary measurements and vanished off in his ‘cave’ with no other words. Juuzou had stitched up both arms and was working on his left leg by then.

“We better get going.” Kaneki’s words startled Suzuya into looking up.

He had stitches on his _lip even._

“Okay!” Juuzou chirped, hopping upright to perch on his chair inquisitively. “Are we going to get sweets now?”

 

 

Anteiku was nestled comfortably on the corner of a street in the slowly waking city. The sun had risen and the two of them were steadily getting more and more stares as they leant against the bricks of a building down the road. Juuzou’s stitches were all the more noticeable as Uta’s thread was of the highest quality.

They may have also been staring at how most of Kaneki’s clothing was inside out, or stained with blood although it just appeared wet from alley rain. Nonetheless, more than one woman clutched her purse as she walked by just a little faster.

The morning coffee rush had stirred, storming through the glass doors and occupying nearly every seat they could see through the window. The temperature slowly began to rise as the morning lethargic haze receded.

The streets began to slowly fill with people, now carelessly walking close enough to nearly brush against. Cars started moving and the foul reek of exhaust puffed into the air.

Kaneki noticed out of the corner of his eye that Juuzou had been twitching slightly. Fingers drumming rapidly as he hummed a flat note with restrained urgency. His eyes watched the crowd temporarily before flicking over to the brick wall as if he was critically analyzing the technique in which mortar was applied.

_‘Aside from the Marketplace, all he’s had was the bag of sugar cubes.’_ Kaneki thought, forcing his muscles to relax as another obnoxious person passed too close for their liking.

“Can we _go?”_ Juuzou whined, his voice rising to an impressive pitch, nearly feminine. A man in a hat glanced at them at the sound but looked away quickly with a look of disgust.

Kaneki frowned, glancing up and down the street through the crowd the best he could. It _looked_ clear, but one could never be sure.

“You go first, walk in and find any of the waiters there.” Kaneki paused as a woman passed close enough. His near mumbles continued once she was out of hearing range.

“I’ll follow after a few minutes to make sure nobody followed you in.”

Juuzou eagerly nodded, nose twitching as he could hardly stand still. His muscles coiled in an alarming way to Kaneki- and he was gone.

He dove forward, lunging actually. Weaving between startled humans while chattering and squealing like a child after a butterfly. Kaneki could hear his unique lilting voice wavering in song before it was swallowed by a nearby car alarm.

_‘Well, if anything would have drawn attention that would be it.’_ Kaneki sighed, leaning back against the brick once more as he crossed his leg for comfort.

He couldn’t help the little smile at the idea of Touka meeting Juuzou.


End file.
